Improvement in washing-machines



J. ZELLER.

WASHIING MACHINES.

No.181,1Z1. Patented Aug.15,1876.

TTUBHEYS.

, chine to a convenient height.

JNTTED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

JOHN ZELLER, OF STOUCHSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.`

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [81.121, dated August15, 1876; application filed July 11, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ZELLER, of Stouchsburg, in the county of Berksand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inClothes-Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of -niy improved machinetaken through the line w Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. u

The object of this invention is to furnish an improved machine forWashing clothes which shall be so constructed as to rub the clothes in amanner analogous to hand-rubbing, will enable soiled parts to be rubbedlonger than the cleaner parts, and will not injure the clothes, andwhich shall be simple in construction, and easily operated.

The invention consists in the combination of the shaft, the levers, therigid arms and their corrugated block, the pivoted arms and theircorrugated block and roller, the crossbar, and the rods, with eachother, and with the suds-box and the stationary rubber, in thecombination of the spiral springs, the hanging rods, the levers, theconnecting rods, the cross-bar, the connecting-rod, and the foot-lever,with each other, and with the sudsbox, and the shaft that carries theoscillating rubber; and in the combination of the eyestraps, thepivotedlevers, and the cross-bar,

with the suds-box, the stationary rubber, and

the shaft that carries the oscillating rubber, as hereinafter fullydescribed.l

A is the suds-box, which is made with a dat bottom, vertical sides, andslightly-daring ends. The suds-box A is supported upon legs B, of such a.length as to raise the ma- G D E is the stationary rubber, ol' which Care the side pieces or bars. The upper sides of the side bars G areconcaved, and to their forward parts are attached the ends of a numberof cross-cleats, D, the upper sides of which are made V-shaped, or arerounded off. To and between the rear parts of the side bars G arepivoted the ends of a number of rollers, E.'

The rubber G D E is placed upon the middle part of the bottom of thesuds-box A, and is kept in place by stop-blocks F, attached to saidsuds-box in the angles between its bot tom and sides.

In slots or deep notches in the upper middle part of the sides of thesuds-box A Work the journals of the shaft G, to which, near its ends,are attached the ends of two levers, H, the outer ends of which areconnected by a round, h1. To the shaft G, near its ends, and at an anglelwith the levers H, are attached the ends of two arms, I, to the outerends of which is attached a block, J. The face of the block J iscorrugated to adapt it to serve as a rubber. To the arms I are pivotedVtwo arms, K, to the outer ends of which is attached a block, L. The faceof the block L is corrugated to adapt it to operate as a rubber, and itsside edge next the block J is beveled olf, so as to t squarely andsnugly against the edge of the said block J. The inner part of the edgeof the block J next the block L is concaved, as shown in Fig. l. To theouter edge of the block L is pivoted a roller, M, to smooth out theclothes, and to enable the rubber to move easily over the stationaryrubber when shifting the clothes. The inner ends of the arms K areconnected by a cross-bar, N, and to said ends or to eye-plates, attachedto them, are attached the ends of two rods, 0, the outer ends of whichare attached to a round, o', that slides in keepers h2, attached to thelower side of the outer parts of the levers H.

The end parts of the round 0 are so formed as to catch uponratchet-teeth formed upon the under side of the said levers H, or haveplates attached to them to catch upon said teeth to fasten the blocks JL together When clamping the clothes. The shaft G is held down to causethe rubber L J to press down with the desired pressure upcn the clothesby spiral springs P, coiled around the rods Q. Theupperends of the rodsQ have eyes formed in them, or in plates attached to them, to receiveand ride upon the outer ends of the journals of the shaft G. To thelower ends of the rods Q are pivoted the ends of the levers R, which arepivoted to blocks or studs attached to the sides of the suds-box A. Tothe other ends of the levers R are pivoted the upper ends of the rods S,the lower ends of which are attached to the ends of a bar, T. The bar Tpasses across beneath the bottom of' the suds-box A, and to its centeris attached the upper end ot' the rod U, the lower end of which isattached to the footlever or treadle V. The inner end ofthe treadleV isattached to a round, W, pivoted to and between the rear legs B of themachine. The' free end of the lever V projects at the front end ot' themachine, so that the person using the machine can readily operate itwith his foot. Upon the inner parts of the journal ot' the shaft G areplaced the eyes of two eyeplates, X, to the lower ends ot' which arepivoted the inner ends of two levers, Y. The levers Y are pivoted to theinner sides of the sides of the suds-box A, and to their outer ends isattached a cross-bar, Z. The outer arms of the levers Y are made ot'such a length that the bar Z, when swung down into the position shown indotted lilies in Fig. 1, may come in contact with the rear end of thestationary rubber C D E to clamp the clothes.

1n using the machine, the rods O are pushed inward, which separates theblocks J L so that the clothes can he inserted between them. The rods 0are then drawn outward, which brings the blocks J L together, clampingthe clothes between them, and the levers H are operated to rub theclothes between the rubber J L and the rubber C D E. When this part ofthe clothes has been sufficienti y rubbed, by a quick motion of thelevers H it is thrown back over the rollers E. At the same time thetreadle V -is pressed downward, which lowers the crossbar Z and graspsthe said part ot' the clothes. The rods O are then pushed in a little,which separates the blocks J L, and the levers H are raised, which drawsthe clothes farther through and exposes another part to be rubbed. Therods O are drawn outward to again clamp the clothes, the treadle Visreleased, and the' clothes are again rubbed, and so on, until all partsof the clothes have been sufficiently rubbed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the shaft G, the levers H h1,the arms I, the corrugated block J, the pivoted arms K, the corrugatedblock L, the roller M, the crossbar N, and the rods O o', with eachother, and with the suds-box A and the stationary rubber C D E,substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination ofthe spiral springs P,

the hangingrods Q, the levers R, the connecting-rods S, the cross-bar T,the connecting-rod U, and the treadle V, with each other and with theends-box A and theshat't G, that carries the oscillating rubber,substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the eye-straps X, the pivoted levers Y, and thecross-bar Z, with the suds-box A, the stationary rubber' C D E, and theshaft Gr, that carries the oscillating rubber, substantially as hereinshown and described.

JOHN ZELLER. Witnesses:

WILSON C. POTTEIGER, M. S. THIRWEGHTER.

